Sky Bet’s press release announcing the nominations, said of O’Toole: “Scorer of six goals from midfield in six games which prevented his side from becoming embroiled in the relegation fight. His powerful all-round play was impressive, but it is his knack for arriving late into the box which stood out.”

The reasons for the other contenders being nominated were as follows.

Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic) – central defender: Oldham’s leader of men did it all in February. A last-minute headed winner at Chesterfield with his side down to 10 men, another goal against Coventry and, as the heartbeat of his defence, a magnificent goal-line clearance to preserve a point against Millwall.

Tony Craig (Millwall) – full-back: The veteran came through an indifferent spell earlier in the season to marshal a watertight Millwall defence to seven clean sheets in seven games. His experience and know-how have allowed him to switch seamlessly to left-back.

Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) – striker: Five goals in as many games for the predatory striker. And all were important goals to give United the lead or to equalise. Seized the moment perfectly to score against automatic promotion rivals Scunthorpe and Bolton.

The judging panel is Sky Sports’ EFL expert Don Goodman, League Managers’ Association director Olaf Dixon and Sky Bet football trading manager Paul Lowery, and the winner will be announced on Friday.

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